Actress, director and photographer, moving in between these interchangeable roles that compliment one another, Efi Gousi loves to see her images brought to life through movement. Following a series of music videos she has directed, this year she came one step closer to her ultimate goal, a full-length film, having created the trailer of the TV series To proxenio tis Ioulias, aired at Alpha TV, while also being in charge of the photo shoot featuring all the cast members.

“It was a lovely partnership and I feel lucky to have been given the chance to craft a world while being offered total creative freedom and trust,” she comments. This project, whose historical aspects fascinated her, incited her to conduct her own research on folklore tradition, marriage and burial customs. Moreover, she was impressed by the actors and their wholehearted commitment to this endeavor.

Woman identity has a permanent place secured at the core of her artistic interests: “I am a woman and that is what I know best, what expresses me,” as she explains. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the series’ plot, which unravels a story of woman oppression, coming-of-age and rebellion, was more than appealing to her.

She wishes for her involvement in Proxenio to serve as the starting-off point for a more consistent engagement with the world of television, as she would certainly take interest in directing a mini series. In the past she has worked as a stage actress, she has directed plays such as Dogville (2015), based on the titular Lars Von Trier film, and coordinated the stage presence of singer Katerine Duska at the 2019 Eurovision contest.

The versatile artist, despite the international distinctions under her belt, such as the selection of her photos by the renowned DIOR fashion house and the cover of Dior Magazine No.36, provides an alternative definition of success. “To me success is the courage to persist and evolve in spite of the difficulties, without ever losing myself and my identity as an artist. To be successful is to endure and that is something only time can tell. Many of the projects I worked on that were deemed as “major” by most people failed to offer me a chance for further evolution and new partnerships, whereas many of the “minor” projects proved to be the ones to give birth to new opportunities.”

Efi Gousi was born in Thessaloniki, is a graduate of the National Theater of Northern Greece – Drama, and has lived for 14 years in Athens and for a few months in London before permanently moving to Paris, as she felt it was time for the next step and a change of scenery both on a personal and an artistic level.